bolto-n



(No MQdel.)

Patented Mar.' 24, 1885.

gi-205396? l M 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

R. P. BOLTON. AIR GOMPRBSSING ENGINE.

No. 314,218. Patented Mar. 24, 1885.

PETERS, Pmwumngmmr. washing. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

BEGIN ALD PELHAM BOLTON, OF BROXBOURNE, COUNTY OF HERTS, ENGLAND.

AIR-COMPRESSING ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,218, dated March 24, 1885.

Application tiled September 3, 1884. (No model.) Patented in England September 20, 1883, No. 4,502.

To all whom, it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, REGINALD PELHAM BoL- TON, of BroXbourne, in the county of Herts, England, and a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Oompressing Engines, of which the following is a specication, refer ence being had tothe accompanying drawings,

forming part of the same, and for which invention I have already obtained British Letters Patent No. 4,502, dated September 20, 1883.

My improvement relates to engines for c0111-,

pressing air, having a piston reciprocating to and fro in a cylinder with closed ends.

Part of my improvement relates more particularly to means of providing ready access of free air to such cylinder by a circumferential chamber around the body of the cylinder, which chamber may also be put to uses hereinafter described. Another part relates to the supply of air for compression by means of vau induced current set in motion by an in-` jector. Anotherpart relates to the im proved inlet and outlet valves used in my air-compressor. Another part relates Lo an improved automatically-adjustable metallic pistonpack ing.` The piston may be reciprocated by any well-known means, usually by a connectingrod coupled to a crank and driven by suitable motive power.

In order that my inyention may be understood, I will describe the same in detail. In the drawings the same letters of reference in dicate corresponding parts throughout the gures.

Figure lis ahorizontal section taken through the center line of an air-compressing cylinder. Fig. 2 is partly a crosssection and partly an -end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of an air-inlet valve in its seating cover, and Figs. 10 and l1 are respectively central longitudinal sections of the inlet and l `inder body havinganges at each end, and

provided with rings or liangesB, cast with it and extending around it circumferentially, adding to its surface exposed to the cooling action of the surrounding water or cold air in the tank or chamber T.

About the middle of thelength of the cylinder body A, or in such other position as may be found desirable, is formed a circumferential chamber or corrugation, C., having its interior edges beveled at C', and being provided with a boss, D, adapted to receive a pipe, E, communicating with the open air through the boss F in the side of the tank T.

I is an injector-pipe through which highpressure air may be supplied, and the jet issuing therefrom... sucks in from the open mouth of the injectorlseat J free air from the atmosphere, which is thus propelled into the corrugationchamber O; or it may be led round and supplied to the inlet-valves hereinafter described. A piston, K, is caused to reciprocate in the cylilidenbody, and to this piston K is connected a piston-rod, L, which may, however, when desired, be made in duplicate, in order to prevent rotation of the piston. The piston K is fitted at either end with a metal ilanged cup-ring, N, the outer edge of which is `cut or split in one or more places as far back as the bend to allow of expansion under internal pressure, and the back or interior ange is held tight against the face of the piston K by a metal ring, N, screwed to the piston K. The piston K is cast hollow, and is further provided with one or more grooves, O'O, turned around its outer periph-V ery, into which anyleakage air from either end of the cylinder passes, and one or more holes, l?, being drilled from the grooves O O down into the `interior of the' piston K, permit the leakage air to freely pass thereto. Another hole, P', connects the interior with the open end of the hollow tail-rod M, Vscrewed fast to the rear end of piston K, and passed out through a gland in the cover, and provided with-a bell-shaped mouth, M', out of which the air iinally passes. is closed at each end by being fastened tothe The cylinder-body AA i rugation C. The tankT is provided with airpassages S S', corresponding to the passages R R in the covers Q Q, such passages S S serving to convey the outlet air to the outside of the tank, and thence, by suitable channels or otherwise, away.

Fig. 2 shows the valve-seatings arranged around the cover Q and the bolts connecting said cover to the cylinder-body A and 'tank T.

V is a pipe conveying cold air or water to the interior of the chamber T, and WV is a waste or exhaust pipe for conveying the same away after use.

The arrows indicate the direction of flow of the air throughout. The tubular inlet-valve seating a, Fig. 3, provided with an exterior screw-thread, is applied in acorrespondinglythreaded hole in the cover Q. The seating a tis made oflarger diameter outside the hole,

and is formed. within to a hexagonal or other angular shape adapted to engage a socketspanner to be used to screw it into place or release it therefrom. The valve bis a tube closed at one end, which end, being somewhat larger than the outside diameter of the tube, has uponit the coned edge, which corresponds to a similar coned edge on the seating c.

Around the tube b and below the coned edge is formed an annular groove having drilled holes C, communicating between it andthe interior of the valve b. There are two slots in the circumference of the valve b, into which project small stops d, screwed in through the seating a, and prevented from moving by their position in the hole in which the seating c tits. The outlet-valve, Fig. o', is applied in a seating, e, xed or screwed into a hole formed in the cover Q in a manner similar to that of the inlet-valve seating just described, the seating being provided with an internal angular recess suitable for a Spanner. The lower part of the seating has an internal coned valve-seat and a'central coned boss,f, somewhat deeper, carried by three or more ribs. The valve g is a tapered conical plate provided with external and internal coned edges corresponding to those in the seating e and boss f. From the back of valve g projects a tube, g', and this tube g is joined to an outer tube, j, by four ribs of light construction fitting in the seat e, and forming the guide for the whole valve. A spiral spring, Z, is placed between t-he valve and the cover k, surrounding the tube g', and the stop or projection k. The cover 7c is screwed into the outer part of the cover Q, and has a similar angular recess to the seating e. The boss la is ofthe shape shown lin Fig. 9, admitting of the passing of air from tube g when they are pressed together by the action of the air.

If preferred, the'moditication of the inlet and outlet valves shown in Figs. l() and ll may be adopted, the same consisting in increasing the area of the groove c4 under the valve by beveling it, making it tapering toward the seat, the holes through it being then preferably at right angles tothe plane ofthe bevel, as shown in said figures. By this form the area of the space between the valve and the casing c is enlarged, affording a more ready passage-way for the air th rough between the valve and valve-seat.

lf desired, a spring may be employed to reseat the inlet-valve, as shown inFig. 10. To this end an eye, c5, is secured in the center of the valve, and a bar, c, provided, which rests in notches in the outer end of the seat or casing c, and the spring c7 is attached, one end to the eye and the other to the bar.

The operation ofthe parts is as follows: The piston K being in motion inone directionsay from right to left of Fig. l-the light Val ves b in the cover Q will be sucked in by the slight vacuum produced by the motion until they are arrested by the stops d meeting the ends ofthe slots in which they engage. Airimmediately commences to dow into the interior of valves b, and passes through holes c into the circumferential groove and between the coned edges of a b into the cylinder A. Springlcloses the outlet-valve g. At the extreme end of the stroke the edge of the iianged packing-ring N passes the edge C of the corruga-tion C, and this chamber C being full, as before shown, by air drawn from the atmosphere by the injector I through pipe E, such air rushes into the cylinder A, and instantly completely fills it and closes the valves b again to their seats. The cylinder is now full of air ready for compression, and the return-stroke commences, the piston K moving now from leftto right. The edge C' is soon passed, and compression commencing soon after,the pressure beginsto compress upon the interior of the metal ring N, splaying it out against the cylinder all round with a force proportioned to the increasing pressure. Any leakage escaping past this ring passes around this piston until it enters the groove O, whence the holes P and P conduct it to the hollow tail-rod M, and so out to the open air. The heat developed by compression,communicating itself to the cylinderbody A and iianges B, is passed by them to the cooling material outside. The outletvalveg now begins to act, when the force of the compression is sufficient to lift it against the spring Z. Rising from its coned edges the air ows through tubes g and j, as indicated by arrows, into the passage R, from thence into the passage S, and so out to the reservoir or pipes. When almost touching the cover Q, the piston K reaches the end of its stroke andthe return-stroke recommences.

It will be understood that I have described the action of one end only; the other end :is at any point doing the reverse; also that any other gaseous fluid than air may be so dealt with. Water or cold air may be pumpedin through ZOO IZO

vIO

pipe E to the corrugation C, and out through another pipe similar to E on the opposite side, circulating in this manner around the piston K; or holes being provided in the piston K the water passes therein. Vater or cold air may also be pumped or run through pipe V continuously, and exhaustedthrough pipeV, keeping constant circulation around the cylinder-body A.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- y 1. In an air-compressing engine, the combination of the air-compressing cylinder and elongated hollow reciprocating piston, the piston being provided on its perimeter with circumferential grooves, and air-passages communicating between the said grooves and the interior of the piston, and an air-passage leading therefrom to the open air.

2. In an air-compressing engine, lthe combination of the compressing-cylinder A, provided intermediate its ends with van internal circumferential groove, C, with an i air-passage, E, leading to said groove, an air-injector, I, arranged and constructed as described, for forcing air through said passage into said groove, and a reciprocating piston, K, constructed, arranged, and proportioned relatively to said cylinder as described, whereby at the end of each stroke it uncovers the said groove and opens communication between it and the interior of the body of said cylinder, all as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an air-compressing engine, the'combination of the cylinder A, provided with an internal circumferential groove,C, the elongated hollow pistonK, provided with an exterior circumferential groove, and an airpassage communicating between the interior of the piston and said groove, the hollow tail-piece M, and an air-passage communicating between the interior of the piston and the said'tailpiece, as and for the purpose described.

4. In an air-compressing engine themcombination of the cylinder A, thehollow elongated piston provided with an external circumferential groove, an air-passage communicating between the interior of the piston and said groove, and an air -passage communicating between the interior of the piston and the open air, and provided,also, with metallic packings N, secured to the piston-head, all as and for the purpose specified.

5. In an air-compressing engine, the combination, with the air-compressing cylinder and piston, of the described inlet-valve formed of the tubular seating a and the valve-tube b, open at the outer end and closed at the inner end by the valve-head b', formed thereon,fthe said valve-tube being tted into said valveseating to reciprocate therein, and provided with an annular external groove near the valve-head, and with apertures c, communieating between the said groove and the interior of said valve-tube, all as and for the purpose described. l

6. In an air-compressing engine, the combi-` nation, with the air-compressing cylinder and piston, of the described outlet-valve composed of the tubular valve-seating e, central boss, f,

valve-tubej, valve-head g, tube g', projection k', and spring Z, all as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination, with the cylinder-head Q, the seating a, and valve-tube b, provided with slotted apertures in its walls, of the headed stop-pins d, which pass through countersunk holes in the body of said seating and project into the said slotted openings in the said valve-tube, as and for thc purpose described.

REGINALD PELHAM BOLTON.

Vitnesses:

A. G. N. VERMILYE, D. PALMER HERRICK. 

